‘Game of Thrones’ Gendry Confirms Expanded Season 8 Role

Game of Thrones has a million characters to service, so we weren’t surprised when Gendry’s grand return amounted to little. Thankfully, star Joe Dempsie now confirms that Robert Baratheon’s blacksmithing bastard will have a much more prominent role in the final season.

It was midway through Season 7 that Game of Thrones finally circled back to Gendry’s rowing exit in Season 3, though the character went unaddressed after racing back to Eastwatch in “Beyond The Wall.” Presumably, Season 7 saw fit to pair the bastard children of Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark for better reasons than an implausible sprint, and Dempsie now confirms to Digital Spy that he’s been filming “a fair bit” more than usual:

I’ve done well out of it this year, for sure … As with all these things, we never shoot in chronological order – so you might have people coming in at the beginning and at the end, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they make it all the way through!

For me personally, the only real hope I had for the character was just that he would be there when the reckoning came. You got the sense – even back in season 3 – that this was a show that was building towards some incredible climax, so you just wanted to be there when it all happened. Not even necessarily just from a character point-of-view, [but] from a personal point of view – to be stood there on the set when they’re making that ending… that end game. So yeah, I’m very happy to be involved and be on set for season 8.

That’s about in line with what Dempsie said last year, as he felt Gendry had more story to tell:

Yeah, I feel like there’s stuff to explore. Gendry’s position in this war has to have some kind of constitutional value. What part he plays in the politics has still to be seen, if anything. For the moment, I’m pleased to be back involved and be one of these Avengers. […]

If he survives [the North of the Wall mission]… I would assume … I know he’s illegitimate, the last known son of the Baratheon blood line. I don’t know. He doesn’t seem like the kind of character who would make a play for power. But then maybe it could be something foisted upon him reluctantly…